A Moment like This
by Bee Juice
Summary: Pure fluff.  This filler story is set in the middle of the third season, during the episode ‘J Edgar’s Ghost.’  This is my version of what could have happened after they finished the case, but before the tag at the end of the episode.


**A Moment like This**

**Rating: PG-13**

**Summary/Genre: Pure fluff. This story is set in the middle of the third season, during the episode 'J Edgar's Ghost.' This is my version of what could have happened after they finished the case, but before the tag at the end of the episode. While I did my best to stay true to the storyline, it does slightly break canon. **

**Disclaimer: Scarecrow and Mrs. King is copyrighted to WB and Shoot The Moon Production Company. No infringement is intended. **

**Archive: Anywhere, but please ask me first.**

**I want to thank Amy for all the help and great suggestions. **

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The cool, spring breeze flowed gently through the metal screen of his Georgetown bedroom window and the full moon shone bright in the darkened sky, peeking through the partially open drapes. Taking a deep breath, Lee Stetson let out a sigh of contentment and something else; a sense of yearning. Blinking his heavy lids, a smile teased the corner on his lips. Once again, Amanda King had crept into his thoughts. As much as he hated to admit it, he actually looked forward to spending time with her, even if it was at the office or in the field. In fact, their latest case had given him the pleasure of her company for several hours for the past eleven days. The weekend, however, was nearly over and Monday, he would have to retire the J. Edgar Hoover File.

Lately, Amanda had been on his mind more and more. Sitting on his bed in his darkened room, Lee could only focus on one remarkable and memorable statement that she had made only a few days ago. "When you're talking about love, you have to be patient."

He couldn't argue with that. She was right and he knew it.

'I wonder if she realized how those words affected me that day.' He pondered. She had looked him directly in the eye to deliver that honest, yet startling declaration. Lost in the depths of those big, beautiful, gorgeous-brown eyes, the overwhelming urge to gently kiss her soft lips had been extraordinary. Somehow, he'd managed to control that astonishing impulse but knew that his thoughts were evident on his face. The way she had looked at him had made his heart race.

Lee looked over at the clock, surprised to see the actual time. It felt so much later than it actually was. In a fleeting moment, he wondered where she was and what she was doing at this time of night. Impulse quickly took over and he reached for the phone and dialed her number. 'I have to make sure that she's okay.' He thought. As quickly as the thought formed in his mind, he let out a sigh. Who did he think he was kidding? He was falling in love with Amanda and wasn't quite sure what to do with that knowledge. Well, 'parts' of him didn't know what to do about it. While his body and mind were in complete disaccord, he knew in his heart that Amanda was very special. He had to be careful with their relationship. As much as he cared for her as a friend, he knew it was time to move to the next level with her. He could feel it in every nerve ending in his body and hoped that she felt the same. Lately, when he looked at her or innocently touched her, it was becoming increasingly impossible to deny his feelings for her.

The phone rang three times and his smile began to slowly fade. On the fourth ring, he heard a familiar raspy, out of breath greeting.

"Hello?"

His smile quickly returned. "Amanda, it's me." Not long ago, he knew that a greeting such as this would have puzzled her; but not now. With growing certainty, he was sure that she knew him almost better than he knew himself.

"Hi, Lee! I'm sorry it took me so long to get to the phone. Phillip and Jamie are helping me fold laundry before their father gets here. I didn't want a mountain of clothes piled up over the weekend. He's taking them to the movies tonight and then out for pizza. Did I mention that today?" He grinned when her diatribe ended. Instead of replying, he was quiet and courteous.

"I'm sorry, Lee, I didn't mean to just go on like that, and I'm just a bit flustered at the moment. Is everything okay?"

"It's fine, Amanda. I know it's a little late but I was just curious if you had any plans tonight?" He waited expectantly for her reply.

"Um, ah . . . no, I don't have any plans, why?"

He hoped that the curiosity that he heard in Amanda's voice was a touch of nervousness on her part. He wondered if she sensed that this conversation wasn't going to be work related and was trying to calm him. 'Why does it have to be so complicated?' He thought.

"Lee? Are you still there?"

Trying to keep the nervousness out of his own voice, he replied, "I was . . . ahh, was wondering if you'd like to come over for a late dinner and maybe watch a movie with me tonight? Or, if you're not up for that, we could always go out for a late dinner . . . or a walk through the park . . ."

The momentary silence was deafening.

Lee shook his head back and forth. 'Real smooth, buddy, real smooth.'

"Dinner and a movie sound wonderful, Lee. With all the running around I've been doing all evening, I'm absolutely famished. I do want to see the boys off first but I could be there in about an hour and a half. Would that be okay?"

"Sounds perfect!" He eagerly replied. "I'll see you in a little while."

He hung up the phone and mouthed a silent 'yes!' Looking around the apartment as if searching for an answer he already knew, Lee quickly grabbed his keys. He suddenly had some quick shopping to do.

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Taking one last sideways glance in the full length mirror, Amanda appraised her outfit, smoothing the silky fabric against her skin. For some reason, she loved wearing red in his presence. It always made her feel more daring and alluring. Maybe it was the way he looked at her when she wore the crimson color, almost as if it was his favorite color. During a normal workday, she was always able to catch his furtive glances in regards to the color of her attire. Of course noticing and acknowledging his glances were definitely two different things. Amanda chose not to acknowledge his glances for a few reasons. More and more often, she was able to see through the man he portrayed to the world and into his true being; his soul. The last thing she wanted to do was to embarrass or discourage him from exploring his idle curiosity. Actually, she found it rather intriguing and exciting at times. To most women at work, he was considered to be some sort of a legend. To think the 'The Mighty Scarecrow' would or could ever be interested in her on a more personal level made her heart race. Everyday, the telltale signs were convincing her more and more. Take for instance tonight, Lee could have asked out any number of women from his little black books, but he had chosen to call her.

Closing her eyes, she imagined what it would feel like to be kissed by Lee Stetson. To feel those large and capable hands exploring her body in intimate places would be incredible. Her heart began to race, goose bumps peppered her arms and a pink hue lightly shaded her cheeks. Shaking her head and taking a deep, calming breath, Amanda quickly turned and walked out of her bedroom and made her way down the stairs to leave.

"Amanda, you look wonderful."

"Mother!" Amanda placed her hand over her heart and took several slow breaths. "You startled me."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you. But that blouse . . . it's absolutely gorgeous on you and the color; I love the color."

"Thank you."

"So where did you say you were going tonight?"

"Oh, I thought I mentioned it earlier. I have to make an appearance at an IFF premiere. It's nothing fancy, Mother. We did a documentary on Russian Yaks earlier this year.

Amanda was well aware that her Mother didn't buy one bit of her story but she continued to do her best to keep a straight face.

"Oh, that sounds utterly fascinating, Amanda. Well, you have a good time and don't worry, I won't wait up."

Amanda frowned slightly. "I will, Mother."

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Lee made one more final inspection of the living room and smiled. Everything looked perfect. Candles adorned the hearth of the fireplace, giving the masculine structure a warm, homey glow. The dining room table was set elegantly with two white candles in the middle. Six crimson tulips sat in a white, porcelain vase between the burning wicks. The bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon was strategically placed near the flowers and the two flutes.

When the doorbell rang, Lee's heart began to race. It took two more rings before he felt confident enough to answer the door.

His smile was wide and radiant as he greeted her. "Amanda, come on in." He instinctively placed his hand on the small of her back and ushered her into the room.

"Thank you," she replied softly.

When she removed her jacket, Lee's breath caught in his throat. He did his best to stifle it but he was sure she'd heard him. She looked absolutely stunning in red. The silk blouse clung in all the right places. The black slacks conformed perfectly to her body. "You look wonderful."

He noticed the color rise in her cheeks and thought maybe he was coming on a bit too strong.

"Thanks, Lee. You look very nice, too."

Feeling himself getting a little warm under her scrutiny, he decided a change in conversation was definitely in order. He didn't want an embarrassing or awkward situation arising for either one of them.

"Thanks. Uh, listen, dinner is just about ready so what do you say we sit down and have a glass of wine?"

"That sounds wonderful."

Lee smiled at the sincerity in her voice and the honesty with which she spoke seemed now, more than ever, to spread a warmth through him; a warmth confirmed that the woman in front of him, was indeed meant for him.

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Rubbing her stomach gently, Amanda sighed. "Dinner was absolutely wonderful, Lee. I've never had penne pasta served with Alfredo sauce. It was delicious. Thanks for a lovely dinner." Amanda held her breath when he reached for and placed a gentle kiss on her hand.

"Did you pick up that recipe on one of your many trips abroad?"

"Actually, yes I did. I stumbled upon that recipe in Germany and you're very welcome, Amanda, it was my pleasure."

An uncomfortable silence settled upon them briefly. Amanda realized that she should continue the conversation, even if it was small talk. Somehow, it seemed to settle her sudden case of nerves.

"Well, it was very good. You'll have to give me the recipe."

Lee was doing very little to hide his slow, appreciative glances of her attire: he kept looking at her, admiringly, from head to toe. She could sense a difference in his demeanor and his touch as well but for some unknown reason, she was almost afraid to explore where it was all coming from or going for that matter.

"Amanda . . . Amanda?"

"Uh . . . yes?"

"I asked if you'd like another glass of wine."

"Oh, uh . . . yes, please." She smiled, briefly looking him in the eye.

'I wonder if he knows that I was thinking about him, off course he does, he's a spy, isn't he, he can read people.' She silently berated herself.

She watched him rise and pour the magenta liquid into the glass.

"Lee, would you mind if we moved this to the living room?"

"Sure, that sounds like a plan."

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Settling back against the cushions, Lee turned to Amanda.

"I tried to find a movie that had a little bit of everything all packed into one. It's called Witness and stars Harrison Ford and Kelly McGillis. It was either this or Top Gun . . ."

"No, that sounds great." She insisted. "Harrison Ford is a little more mature than Tom Cruise."

Leaning back, Lee inched a bit closer to Amanda. After the movie began, he slowly moved his right arm around her and rested it on her shoulder. From this angle, he had a great view of her long legs and her perfume only served to attune all of his senses. 'I could watch her forever.'

"Lee? Lee?" He felt her hand on his knee and he nearly jumped off of the couch.

"What! Yes?" Her smile told him that she was keenly aware of his actions.

"I asked if anything was wrong. You seem a bit distracted. Is everything okay?"

"Oh, yea . . .yes, Amanda. Everything is great. I was just . . . uh . . . thinking about our last case." He lied.

"I thought you said everything was all tied up." He could see a look of concern in her eyes.

'Damn it. Why couldn't I just tell her what I was thinking? Well, not in detail but still . . . ah, hell, now, I'm going to have to work my way out of this mess.'

"It is Amanda. I'm just thinking about what you said, that's all."

'There, I was honest about that part.' He mused.

"What did I say?" He could tell from the puzzled look on her face that she was retracing all of our discussions regarding the case.

"When we stopped by Agnes's apartment, you told me that . . ." The shrill ringing of the telephone cut of his reply.

'Damn it! Can't I, for once, catch a break? Can I just have a single, uninterrupted moment with her?'

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Amanda watched him cross the room towards the ringing phone. She could tell that he was perturbed and she had a very good idea as to what had him so pre-occupied. It was the same thing that had her distracted not that long ago.

Maybe he wasn't aware of the little things that he did that clued her in on his mood. The heavy sigh, the twitch of his jaw and the way he ran his fingers through his hair were all indicators of his present state of mind. Why shouldn't he be? Just a moment ago, he was about to open a can of worms that she hadn't thought he'd ever open. Taking a deep breath, Amanda let out a sigh of relief. As much as she wanted to explore a personal relationship with Lee, the actual prospect of it happening made her stomach feel as if a million butterflies were flapping their wings. Imagining the feeling of his hands on her body, a tingle ran up, and back down, her spine. 'What if I don't measure up? What if he's not affected by my kiss?' She thought. Amanda looked up and snapped out of her reverie.

She listened carefully and it only took a moment to realize their boss, Billy Melrose was on the other end of the phone. From Lee's expression and his words, Amanda assumed that Billy uncovered something important.

"Stetson here? Yes . . . Yes . . .he did? That's great, Billy. What? Are you kidding me? I'm sure it is. Yes, I'll be sure to tell Amanda. What? No, I uh . . . have no idea. I said I didn't know but I'll tell her when I see her, okay? Well maybe that's just an excuse she uses when she goes out. Hell, if I know. Yes, 7:00 a.m., sharp. Got it. Bye."

'Why is he asking about me?' she wondered. Obviously, Lee wasn't comfortable having the conversation in front of her because he continually averted his eyes from her, then back towards the wall.

"Sorry about that," he grimaced, running a hand through his hair. "It was Billy. He had a team dig through the files at the dump and believe it or not, they managed to retrieve a few pages of some very interesting reading material if you catch my drift." She loved when he wiggled his eyebrows in a suggestive manor. He really was the most sexy, desirable man she'd ever laid her eyes on.

"That's great." Amanda wondered if she should press him for details. "Did I hear Mr. Melrose ask about me?" She batted her eyelashes a few times at him.

"Oh, he wanted me to be sure to tell you what went down. You did have a vested interest in this case. You were a big help on this one. I don't think I would have been able to get anything out of Agnes if you hadn't been there."

Obviously, he was back peddling so she decided to let it slide for now. Amanda promised herself that she'd soon stop 'letting' those moments go by. The entire evening paled in comparison to her expectations. Lee was warm, welcoming, and attentive and distracted at times. Maybe fate just needed a gentle nudge in the right direction.

"Care to finish the movie?" She patted the seat where he previously resided.

"That sounds great. What'd I miss?"

At that very moment, Amanda decided to be brave and test the waters a bit. "Book told his boss about Officer Mcfee. If you ask me, I think he's in on it. I could tell by his reaction. And despite the fact that he's a cop and she's an Amish widow, Book and Rachel are growing closer and closer each day. Obviously, it's forbidden, but they can't seem to help it."

She watched his reaction carefully. He seemed mesmerized by her words. His eyes turned emerald green and he pursed his lips.

"I know what you mean." His voice took on a deep, husky quality.

The urge to concede and look away was immense, but she didn't dare. She had started it and intended on finishing it.

"What do you mean?"

His chest rose very slowly as he spoke, "you and me," he stated simply.

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Lee leaned over, placing the palm of his left hand against her cheek. She titled her face, accepting his intentions. Ever so softly, he placed a tender kiss upon her lips. Abruptly, he pulled back to gauge her reaction to his bold move.

"Is this okay?" He inquired wearily.

A small nod preceded her reply.

"That was nice."

"Good, because I'm going to kiss you again," Lee heard the sharp intake of her breath and smiled triumphantly before brushing his lips against hers. This kiss, which started soft and gentle, quickly escalated into a searing and possessive kiss. It felt as if time had stopped the moment he felt her soft and pliant mouth beneath his. Every fiber of his being was keenly aware of her presence and it delighted him. Lee wrapped both arms around her, pulling her against his chest. Fearing he could easily lose control, Lee released her from his grasp and broke the kiss. Unwilling to let her go, he placed a few longer, softer kisses upon her lips.

"Lee." Her voice sounded appealingly breathless to his ears.

Smiling against her lips, he pulled back. Reaching for her hand, he placed a tender kiss upon her wrist. "I know." He nodded affirmatively as if she said something of profound insight.

"You do?" She replied softly.

"Yes, I do. He smiled softly. "You're very special, Amanda. I want to take things slow and really get to know you better."

"I'd like that, Lee." She replied, giving him a shy smile.

He wrapped his arm around her and glanced at the television. The plot didn't really matter at this point. Amanda was in his arms and it felt good, it felt right.

As the credits rolled, Lee looked down and saw Amanda's head nestled against his chest. Her eyes were half closed and she was very still. It was time to get her home.

"Well, Cinderella, as wonderful as this evening has been, I think we should get going. It's late and I think I should make sure you get homes safely."

"Lee, my car is here?" Her quizzical, tired look made him laugh.

"Of course it is, but that doesn't matter. I'd feel better following you home."

"Lee, I'll be fine." She assured him, placing her hand upon his cheek.

Leaning in again, he brushed his lips against hers. "Please," he whispered against her lips.

"O . . .okay," she relented.

As they walked through the door, Amanda heard his chuckle and turned towards him. "What's so funny, Lee?"

"Nothing," he tried to reassure her. Lee realized that she had planted both feet firmly in front of him. "Okay, okay." He put his hands up. "If I'd known before that a simple kiss was all I had to do to make you concede, I would've tried it a long time ago." He let out a deep laugh as she playfully swatted his arm and mouthed his name.

THE END


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